‘Making a Murderer’ Prosecutor Ken Kratz: ‘I Was a D--k!’

It’s safe to say that Ken Kratz was a rather unlikable personality on Netflix’s widely popular docuseries Making a Murderer. The prosecutor — who tried Steven Avery for the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach — admitted in a somewhat bizarre interview forGothamistwith comedian Jena Friedman that he came across poorly.

“I was a d--k,” Kratz told Friedman. “Some of that was bravado that was necessary for the presentation of the case, but some of that was me. I think it’s important that people understand that I’m not that person anymore.”

The former DA, who is now a defense attorney, revealed to Friedman that he’s received tons of hate mail since the December premiere of the 10-part series, which explores the trial and conviction of Avery for the murder of the 25-year-old photographer. In the series, the defense argues that police tampered with evidence and framed Avery. Kratz has since claimed that the Netflix series left out crucial facts and that Making a Murderer presents misinformation.

Ken Kratz

“The first three weeks of criticism I received on emails on the Internet kind of went like this: ‘Ken you’re a piece of s--t and Steven Avery is innocent. How dare you convict him!’ About a week and a half ago,” Kratz continued, “that narrative changed to: ‘Ken you’re a piece of s--t’ — which didn’t change — and ‘Although Steven Avery may be guilty, we still think the cops may have been involved where he deserves another trial.’”

When asked about the conspiracy theorists who believe that it was actually Kratz who murdered Halbach, the former DA laughed. “That’s really entertaining, actually. Obviously just for their information, I have an alibi for the 31st of October,” Kratz told Friedman of the day Halbach went missing. “That’s such a funny question to answer.”

Steven AveryNetflix

The comedian also asked Kratz to play a round of marry, f--k, kill — which he declined to do — and what he would say to her if he were to send her a sext. (In June 2014, Kratz’s license was suspended for four months after he allegedly sexted with a domestic abuse victim in 2009.)

“I wouldn’t actually, and this is really, again, a fantastic question,” Kratz told Friedman when she asked what he’d write. “But the respect I have for all women doesn’t allow me to go down that road at all. I don’t do that anymore … I don’t sext anybody, much less victims of domestic violence.”

At the end of their interview, Friedman pulled out a Ouija board. “I do not want to do that [either],” Kratz told her.